We are extremely proud to announce that our concept Faster ABC – Always the Best Connection has been awarded as one of the winners of the Systems & Components Trophy as part of Agritechnica digital. Our project was selected between a shortlist of 20 innovations proposed by big players in the agricultural components supplier industry.
After conducting a User Experience Field Research, interviewing many different players in the industry (end users, dealers, OEMs), our team gathered many useful information about machineries and implements. For instance, one of the most significant risks of inefficiency on farms is linked to obtaining the best hydraulic connection between the fleet of tractors and that of the implements.
Despite the rapid degree of innovation of agricultural machinery, the management of this risk is still carried out today with the most disparate workarounds: painted implement tubes, colored clamps, stickers and so on. All this to ensure that every possible tractor-implement combination in the fleet can operate at maximum efficiency and with an identical UX for all operators. To completely remove the risk of non-optimized or incorrect connections, Faster has worked on an innovative system called Faster ABC, where ABC stands for Always the Best Connection.
The system guides the final user to create a pairing between tractor and implement, saving the paring for future use, allowing the correct connection of each hose to the respective port. Thanks to the Faster ABC smartphone app, the operator is guided on this process. The ECU on the tractor can be connected via CAN BUS with the tractor, therefore any information of the implement (nominal working power, pressure, oil flow) can be used for tractor hydraulic power fine-tuning, and thus fuel-saving.
Finally, a green LED light will show the best connection port for each implement hose on the tractor side. The system also gives a confirmation of the correct and complete connection between male and female couplers, allowing to collect data, opening the future to preventive maintenance algorithm, that could possibly suggest when it is time to replace a coupler.
The Faster ABC App provides visual support during all the phases of pairing and connections: creation of tractor and implement fleets, a new configuration, guided connection phase, modification of a configuration, and it also shows warnings signs if something goes wrong.
Faster wants to express its gratitude to the jury of the Systems & Components Trophy for this incredible recognition. Faster ABC is the result of years of hard work and collaboration between our different departments, and it’s the fruit of joint effort and teamwork.
A special shoutout goes to Emiliano Torresi (Sales), Riccardo Arrigoni and Andrea Daniele (Research and Development), who worked on this project with dedication and willpower, even when faced with the many obstacles linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lastly, we’d like to thank DLG for giving us a platform to introduce our innovation. Let’s hope to celebrate this incredible achievement by meeting in person at the next Agritechnica!
